The Darkness - Permission to Land (Epic) 2003

1. Black Shuck (3:20)
2. Get Your Hands Off My Woman (2:46)
3. Growing on Me (3:29)
4. I Believe in a Thing Called Love ( 3:36)
5. Love Is Only a Feeling (4:19)
6. Givin' Up (3:34)
7. Stuck in a Rut (3:17)
8. Friday Night (2:56)
9. Love on the Rocks With No Ice (5:56)
10. Holding My Own (4:56)

The Darkness are one of those buzz bands that I had heard about long before I had actually heard. Well, I finally scored a copy of "Permission to Land" in a trade and to be quite honest, I like The Darkness. They are just good, fun rock'n roll. I have seen these guys labeled as an "80's throwback", but I can't believe anyone would label them as "80's" or call them "metal." Perhaps the spandex is a bit of metal fashion from the 80's, but the music is rooted in the 1970's, in my opinion. They have a retro 70's sound that reminded me a of old Sweet, Slade, and a bit of Queen as well. Justin Hawkins' over-the-top vocals are certainly the focal point of the band. I suppose most will either love him or hate him. Personally I like over-the-top, charismatic, stylized vocals. I tend to like bizarre vocals (Udo, Grave Digger, Nitro, etc.) that most people don't like. His shreaky, falsetto vocals work well in pop songs like "Black Shuck", "I Believe in a Think Called Love" and the "Givin' Up." As I said in the beginning of this review, these guys are fun. I would imagine that while they are hugely popular in Europe, they will have a harder time finding acceptance from metal and hard rock fans in the U.S. as most of the metal coming out of the U.S. is more concerned with brooding, hatred and anger than with having fun. When did rock music stop being fun? For that alone I will give the Darkness and extra star! Unfortunately some of the lyrics aren't so great. While songs like "I Believe in a Think Called Love" are fun and catchy, "Givin' Up" is an expletive filled song about heroin. (Hmmmm, you'd think people would learn from the past.)

The Darkness - One Way Ticket to Hell...and Back (Atlantic) 2005

1.     One Way Ticket (4:26)
2.     Knockers (2:43)
3.     Is It Just Me? (3:05)
4.     Dinner Lady Arm (3:16)
5.     Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time (3:34)
6.     Hazel Eyes (3:25)
7.     Bald (5:31)
8.     Girlfriend (2:33)
9.     English Country Garden (3:06)
10.   Blind Man (3:25)

""One Way Ticket" is the second full-length album from British rockers The Darkness. As with the band's debut, "One Way Ticket" is packed full of edgy, undeniably hooky, hard rock. Once again I defy the "80s throwback" label thrown on The Darkness. Rather, The Darkness mix together a ton of 1970's influences. You'll hear bits of Queen, AC/DC, Meat Loaf, some Irish influences from Thin Lizzy, the hooks of The Sweet or Slade and the cheesiness of Spinal Tap. Considering the amount of 80's bands that borrowed from these bands, it's not a wonder why The Darkness are labeled and 80's throwback. Still, call it glam rock, hard rock or pop rock. The label isn't as important and the infectious nature of the music itself. It's rock and roll excess, complete with strings, brass, bagpipes, sitars, cowbells and even pan flutes. The record opens with an eccentric pan flute and keyboard melody before the opening chords of "One Way Ticket" kick you in the face. For the most part, however, it's just big guitar riffs and those vocals. Unlike "Permission to Land", the guitars have been scaled back a bit in favor of big vocals, vocal melodies and layered vocals. Justin Hawkin's vocals are absolutely ridiculous. However, it's that ridiculous, over-the-top nature of his vocals that gives the band charisma and character. It's not unlike how Freddie Mercury's golden pipes helped to give Queen their identity.

Speaking of Queen, "English Country Garden" and "Blind" are two of the most Queen influenced songs I have ever heard. In fact, after spinning the album a couple times I perused the booklet to see if Roy Thomas Baker might be the producer. In fact, he is! It's no wonder the Queen connection is so strong at points. However, that's not to say the entire album is Queen worship. Album opener "One Way Ticket" is an immediately like-able song with a big AC/DC-style riff. I sort of wish the song would have had a ripping guitar solo rather than a sitar solo, but then a sitar solo is just part of the excess of the whole thing. Songs like "Hazel Eyes" and "Girlfriend" are brilliantly catchy thanks to Justin's helium ingested vocals and Dan Hawkins crunchy rhythms and riffs.